What could be a more perfect mix than a garden wedding ceremony followed by a chic downtown wedding at one of Chicago’s hippest spots? Pen Carlson recently captured the wedding of Sara and Martin, two lovelies who envisioned a wedding theme of “country picnic chic.” Thanks to Jayne Weddings & Events and Foxglove Studio, I’d say they certainly achieved it!

From the bride, Sara: Martin and I met working in a restaurant; we fell in love over drinks and food. We also share a strong love for entertaining. Martin is from Texas so we knew we wanted something that connected our guests with a few of our shared passions. We were kind of all over the place until we met Katie from Jayne weddings and she coined the “country picnic chic”. Our colors were based on florals that we loved. Lots of greens in all different tones, dusty pinks, bright coral and sage. The venue had rusted walls and lots of wood so we needed to fit in, not fight with the space.

Our flowers were amazing. We didn’t realize until we had already started booking that we were getting married on Mother’s Day, no biggie right? Well we had a heck of a time finding a florist willing to work on the busiest retail holiday of the year. When we finally found Caitlin I knew that the the search was well worth it. We had long picnic tables and family style dinner so she came up with a plan. Tons of tiny bottles, colored glass, ferns and fluffy single stem flowers. She even threw in a few cacti for the Texan!

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? Relax. And don’t drag it out. We ended up pushing our wedding back a few months (we found out we were expecting a baby!) by the time the wedding came we were both so ready!

Wedding Music:
Processional: “Run to Me,” Cat Power
Recessional: “Somebody to Love,” Queen
First Dance: “Something,” George Harrison/The BeatlesAt the end of the night we played Bohemian Rhapsody and literally every person there sang along. It was epic.

From the event designers, Jayne Weddings & Events: Sara and Martin are one of the sweetest, loving, dotting couples we have ever had the honor to work with. You’ll see it in these pictures, the way they look at each other gives me goosebumps! They came to Jayne Weddings and Events for full event design and coordination. Martin is from Texas and wanted his guest to feel comfortable in the windy city. The couple both work in the restaurant industry, and knew they wanted to host their wedding in a place surrounded by industry friends and family. They choose Green St. Smoked Meats because it was a bit of country with a downtown address. They also brought in foods from other restaurants they are involved with , oysters from Maudes, Coffee from La Columbe, this was a foodie wedding for sure! The dinner service was family style, so we had to go light on the flowers, but we added fun pops of color by choosing a colorful mix of vintage glassware from Nimblewell, 4 different patterns of napkins in the same blue, and used butcher paper for the table runners! There were (bride and groom made) pickle favors, cacti, and many cowboy boots and hats! Jayne Weddings & Events also worked closely with Aged Vintage Rentals and Foxglove Studio to create some lovely hand lettered vintage signage draped in gorg garlands! The couple chose an amazing band who taught guests a few line dances mixed into their typical retro country sets. We made a giant 8 foot gold fringe star to shine over the entire occasion. Although it rained for the reception (which was fine, as it made the venue look even more magical!) The ceremony was held outdoors at the Humbolt Formal Gardens. Martin, the groom even mowed the aisle the morning of, just to make sure everything was perfect for his bride!